EricV
Riding, farkling, riding...
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No. Preload is done by a simple plastic knob accessible on the throttle side of the bike. The knob is plastic, so be sure that the bike is on the center stand or lightly loaded if on the side stand. It has stripped out on several people. It's not really a problem, but a metal replacement is available. I never stripped mine during the 109k miles I owned the '12 bike. That was two different shocks though. The Gen II bikes are the same and have the same potential to strip if abused.does that require a special tool? same as most shocks?
You'll be fine on the ride home. When I picked up my current Super Ten I flew in. Shipped my riding gear to the dealer with a dry bag. It was all waiting for me when I got there. Changed into my gear, put my street clothes in a dry bag, strapped that to the bike and had a nice 1600 km ride home. Nothing but a few turns on the preload knob and adjusting the windscreen a bit. By the time I got home I had identified a few things I wanted to change or improve. I suspect you will also find a few things to do by the time you get home.